James Lechay studied at the University of Illinois, but considers himself self-taught except for study with his brother, Myron. Among his awards are: the Altman and Ranger prizes, NAD; the Norman Wait Harris Medal, the Art Institute of Chicago; a purchase award, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Childe Hassam Fund Purchase Prize, the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work in public collections includes: the Art Institute of Chicago; the Brooklyn Museum,; the Des Moines Art Center, Iowa, and the National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC. Among his teaching positions have been: Stanford University, California; the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture; the University of Iowa; and Chinese University of Hong Kong.
